A collection of rotten teeth from such notable mouths as Queen Victoria, Florence Nightingale and Princess Mary are expected to fetch up to £1,000 sterling (£1,136) at auction in London.

The blackened teeth are thought to have been collected by a society dentist and acquired at the turn of the century by an antique dealer. Each tooth is accompanied by a tiny hand written note. Queen Victoria's "23rd tooth", it states, was removed when she was 12 in February 1832 and she lost another some four months later.

The collection features four of her teeth and two of her mother's teeth. Mr Alex Crum-Ewing who is handling the sale said: "One can understand why the teeth were extracted - their owners must have been extremely uncomfortable."